Self-Improvement Archives - The Art of Improvement

4 Tiny Habits to Improve Your Sleep Effortlessly

Sleep. There’s no hiding from it. You can postpone it as much as possible, but it’ll eventually claim you. Rather than fight it or bemoan how little sleep you’re getting, it’s best if you learn to use sleep to your advantage. If you do, you’ll be fighting fit on all fronts – everything will seem more possible and life will be filled with a base layer of energy.

It’s easy to see why not prioritising your sleep makes your life not just more difficult, but a slog from minute one. According to some research from the University of Chicago, a four to five-hour sleep can reduce a man’s testosterone levels to that of a man 10 to 15 years his senior. Its biological power must not be underestimated. A lack of sleep is fundamental to our everyday existence.

The Habits of Highly Organised Individuals

In houses worldwide, you’ll find neatness personified; cutlery organised according to its purpose, colour-coded bookshelves and even seasonally-racked clothes. In many of those houses, you’ll also find a ‘messy drawer’ – a slice; a taster, perhaps – of the human brain’s capability for facilitating disorganisation. It’s a dumping ground for the miscellaneous items we can’t quite seem to find a designated home for, but at the same time, its value isn’t lost on its owners.

Self-Improvement Checklist: 5 Tasks You Need To Do in December

Another year is coming to a close and it’s a good time to be thinking about how it went, and what you’d like to see in the coming year.

You may be realizing that time is short, and you still have some things to accomplish before the year ends. But how much can you get done with only one month left to go? By following these next steps, you might find you can end the year feeling not only accomplished, but also excited about what’s coming next!

How to Stay Focused When the Internet Wants Your Attention

Have you ever had one of those days where you can’t seem to get anything done? At every turn, there’s another distraction.

For example, say you’re just starting your day, and you hear a text notification. You pick up your phone to check the text, but then notice you have emails, one of which you have been anxiously awaiting. So you start to check your emails, when your alarm goes off reminding you to take your vitamins. So you walk into the kitchen to get your vitamins and notice the laptop laying on the table. This makes you think about the project you were going to work on today, and since you’re getting a late start you decide to send a text to let someone know you’re running late. Then when you look at your phone you notice the first text that came in this morning that you haven’t answered yet.

How Introverts Quietly Dominate Self-Improvement

In Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain writes about Rosa Parks:

“I had always imagined Rosa Parks as a stately woman with a bold temperament, someone who could easily stand up to a busload of glowering passengers. But when she died in 2005 at the age of 92, the flood of obituaries recalled her as soft-spoken, sweet, and small in stature. They said she was ‘timid and shy’ but had ‘the courage of a lion.’ They were full of phrases like ‘radical humility’ and ‘quiet fortitude.’ ”

Rosa Parks’ legacy is weaved into the fabric of American history. Her revolutionary choice to not give her seat up for a white man was, at the time, cataclysmic. The boldness of the action and grandeur of its consequence could fool anyone into assuming Rosa Parks was a bold, seemingly extroverted person. That wasn’t the case. Her ‘timid and shy’ persona is not one you’d typically assign to someone looking to radically alter the way racial equality is perceived and addressed in America and around the world, but Rosa Parks was unassuming in her bravery, her introversion providing fertile ground for the ‘courage of a lion’ to feed, grow, and roar.

A Complete Guide to Mastering Consistency

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, one definition of consistency is, “The state or condition of always happening or behaving in the same way.” That may seem a bit boring at first, but the benefits of consistency can bring just the opposite.

Consistency helps to strengthen connections in the brain, so you may be thinking with greater clarity, and developing skills and knowledge through strong neural pathways.

Consistency creates momentum, which becomes a habit that can contribute to lasting change. So by being consistent you can make big strides in the direction of your goals. It tips the scales toward the side of success.

Do These 5 October Tasks or Regret It Forever

365 days.

52 weeks.

12 months.

You can split the calendar year in all manner of ways. There are holidays galore, seasonal change, and so much more besides. October – the 10th month of the year – sits in a unique position. Autumn is well and truly alive, summer is in the rear view mirror and Christmas isn’t too far away. A period for reflection and forward-thinking inspection. Oh, and Halloween. October is a good time to take note of everything that has happened in the 9 months prior, while also cultivating a mind toward the future. The holiday season isn’t too far away, so while Christmas lists are just around the corner, it’s time to focus on your journey.

How to Break Through Your Fear of Failure

Failure is inevitable. It’s going to happen. And it’s probably more common than you think. If you haven’t experienced some form of failure in your life, you probably haven’t stepped too far outside of your comfort zone.

Since failure is something that happens to everyone at some point, you may find some degree of comfort knowing you’re not alone. But if failure is so common, why does it feel so big? Why is failure so hard to accept? Well, maybe it’s not so much the failure itself, but the fear of it. Maybe it’s so difficult because of all of the emotions associated with it.

Build a Resilient Brain to Overcome Any Obstacle

When you are rejected, resilience is there. When life goes wrong at all – guess what? The resilience within picks you up, ready to fight another day. It’s found in the gritty, everyday situations you encounter on a daily basis, whether that’s forcing yourself out of bed or finding your seats in a dark cinema room. It takes inner strength to do what you need to do, let alone achieve success and happiness.

Success and happiness are quantified in different ways. Success may derive from reaching career goals, and happiness could come in the form of meaningful relationships. Whatever it is, the ability to rely on resilience lies at the core. As a result, it mustn’t be neglected. Building a resilient brain helps you overcome obstacles and thrive in life because it allows you to make risky decisions and take risks, all with the knowledge that no matter what happens, you will be okay. Acquiring that isn’t as easy as it seems, but not impossible. Resilience, after all, is a skill you can learn, not necessarily an inherent personality trait.

A Complete Guide to Becoming Highly Productive

Productivity guides are a hot commodity. If you’re a productive worker, you’ll likely get commended. After all, the more work you produce, the more valuable you are, right? While that may be true in a lot of ways, productivity isn’t just for business purposes. A productive person isn’t merely the employee of the month, they’re productive in every sense of the word. A productive friend shows up when needed. A productive partner listens and plans dates. A productive person looks out for themselves and ensures they’re not slacking when it comes to self-care.

Yes, a lack of productivity in a work environment is not a favourable position to be in. Looking further, if you’re not actively working to improve your life, whether that’s via self-betterment or relationships, it can lead to a lack of self-esteem and dwindling confidence. These traits help make productivity a formidable yet sustainable presence in your life, so their absence is potentially very damaging in any pursuit of a long-term goal.